I was saddened to learn that Jan Assmann passed away yesterday. Three short memories:
(1) After I presented a paper at the International Congress of Egyptologists in 2000, Professor Assmann pulled me aside and we had a long talk about what I had presented. I was flattered when he cited the unpublished version in his book, Tod und Jeneseits im Alten Ägypten.
(2) Professor Assmann was one of the outside reviewers for my rank advancement. I was told that he wrote a nice letter for me although I do not know the details.
(3) The last time I saw Professor Assmann was during the International Congress of Egyptologists at Rhodes in 2008. We shared a taxi back to the hotel from one of the venues. As ever, he was very gracious.
Professor Assmann will be known for his prodigious and thought-provoking output and his amazing erudition. Because fewer will know him personally, he will be less and less known for his gracious manner. He probably will not be known for his role as a father. He was tremendously proud of his daughters and their diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Iran.
